The one she thought was lost
by LauraVG
Summary: Before Regina Mills became The Evil Queen, she had a daughter. A beautiful little princess with brown eyes and hair like her mother. She named her after the girl's father whom Regina had lost not a long time before. Her name was Daniella. But Regina never got to see her grow up. Her first steps, first words. She missed everything. Why? Because Regina thought her daughter was dead
1. Epilogue

**_Epilogue_**

The moment Regina held the little girl in her arms, she fell in love. She looked down. She and Daniel had created this. She was perfect. Dark, curly hair and chocolate brown eyes like Regina's. The girl opened her eyes and looked up to her mother. Regina's heart skipped a beat when her daughter looked at her. She felt herself smile for the first time since Daniel died.  
"Hello my little princess", she whispered at the baby, "I'm your mother."  
The girl smiled at her in return. Regina felt tears building in her eyes. The girl had Daniel's smile. God, she missed him. Daniel. Her stable boy. She missed his arms around her, his smile, his eyes. She missed him so much.  
"Daniella."  
Regina couldn't think of any other name for their baby girl. It was the perfect way to honor him.  
Daniella started fussing and Regina started to rock the girl in her arms. The baby calmed down almost immediately. Regina smiled at her. She was so perfect, Regina still couldn't believe it was _her_ daughter.  
After a while, Regina looked back down and saw that Daniella had fallen asleep. She smiled again as she walked to the girl's crib and lay her inside. She tucked Daniella in and looked one last time to see that she was comfortable before kissing the girl's forehead.  
"I love you, my little princess. Sweet dreams", she whispered. She went to get the bracelet she had made before Daniella was born. It was a simple one with Daniella's name on it. She put it on the girl's wrist before getting ready for bed. Her eyes never leaving Daniella, she changed and got under the covers. Regina started thinking. She was happy that she had gotten such a beautiful gift, but Daniel would never be able to see his daughter grow up. Just because Snow White couldn't keep a damn secret. But she was also very worried about her little princess because of her mother. What if she didn't let her keep Daniella? She was already engaged to the king and she doubted he would still marry her if he saw that she had a daughter that was not his. Her mother would do something about it. She was sure about that, she just didn't know _what her_ mother was going to do. Regina sighed. "Maybe I'll know what to do after a night of sleep", she thought as she closed her eyes. A little while later both her and Daniella were sound asleep.

An hour later, Cora sneaked into Regina's room. Seeing that her daughter and granddaughter were sleeping, she smirked. She would never let Regina keep the girl. It would ruin her plan to get what she deserved. Power. So no, she wasn't going to let one little thing get in the way of what she wanted. Cora scoffed, she still couldn't believe her daughter had a child with a peasant. A damn stable boy. Well, that was about to change. She walked to the crib where the little girl was sleeping and picket her up. She scoffed as she saw the bracelet with the girl's name on it. "Of course, my darling daughter would call her after the stable boy", she thought while rolling her eyes. She walked out of the room bringing the little girl with her.

When Regina woke up the next morning, she knew something was wrong. She should've been woken up multiple times last night because of her daughter. But she didn't.  
Regina hurried out of her bed and walked to the crib her daughter was supposed to lay in. She felt a cold feeling running through her when she reached the crib. Nothing. The crib was completely empty. Her daughter was gone.  
"No", Regina yelled while tears were gathering in her eyes.  
"No, please, no, no", Regina whispered," Daniella."  
She ran to her father's room, maybe he had taken Daniella out of her crib to take care of her. Maybe he'd know where her precious daughter was.  
"Daddy", Regina yelled, knocking on his door. Her father opened the door a few seconds later.  
"Daddy, do you know where Daniella is?"  
"No, dear. I haven't seen her since last night. What's going on?"  
"She's gone, daddy! When I woke up this morning her crib was empty. She's gone!"  
Regina started crying. Henry took his daughter in his arms, hugging her tightly. That moment Cora barged into the room.  
"Mother, do you know where my daughter is", Regina asked.  
"She's gone", her mother said.  
"What do you mean she's gone?" Regina really started to panic now, what had her mother done?  
"I came to check on you earlier this morning. When I came into the room, she wasn't breathing. I took her out of her crib and burried her", Cora said, not even bothering to try and look like she cared.  
"And you couldn't even wake me? She was my daughter!" Regina was starting to get really angry. Her baby died and her mother didn't even bother to wake her up!?  
"Oh calm down, Regina. These things happen all the time. Get over it", Cora said coldly. With that she walked out of the room, a smirk on her face.  
After her mother left the room, Regina completely broke down. All her anger changed into incredible sadness and grief. Her baby was gone. Her beautiful daughter. Her and Daniel's daughter was gone, and she couldn't do anything about it.  
"Daniella, no! Daddy, she's gone! It hurts, daddy, make it stop! Please!" Her knees gave up on her and she fell into her father arms, sobbing and crying until she didn't have any tears left.

Regina was inconsolable for days. She didn't come out of her room, didn't eat, didn't speak no matter how hard her father tried, and didn't bother to sleep. She knew she would only get nightmares.  
Eventually Cora dragged her out of her room to get her wedding dress fitted.  
Henry saw the change in his daughter. The eyes that had once been full of life, had gone dull. She didn't smile, didn't laugh. She didn't have any reason too. The once happy girl grew up. She didn't hope that things would get better, that she would be happy one day. She was done hoping, done losing the things she loved. She would never love again and no one would ever love her.  
Things went downhill from there. She married the king and had to raise the 'ooh so innocent' Snow White.  
And well, you all know the rest of the story...

 ***A/N: I had this idea a while back and I just wanted to see what I could make of it** 😁 **I hope you enjoyed the first part of this story! Please comment! I'd love to have some feedback! English is not my first language since I live in Belgium, so if there are any mistakes in this I apologize. The next part will be up when I have time, because you know there's a thing called school that I can't get rid of so...** 😄


	2. Chapter 1: The Merry Men

_Chapter 1: The Merry Men_

 ***A/N: Here's the first chapter! It's not really long, but I hope you enjoy it! Feel free to leave comments and I'm sorry if I made any mistakes (English is not my first language** 😅 **).**  
 **Anyways this chapter happens about 12 years after Regina gave birth to Daniella (see previous chapter). Enjoy!**

 **Daniella's pov:**  
Daniella kept running. She was sick of it. She was sich of always being told what to do, always being pushed around from one 'home' to another. The people she had lived with over the past 12 years weren't always the 'nicest' people in the world. Most of them thought their own children were a lot more important than she was. How many times was she told that she was worthless, that her parents didn't want her? She lost count over the years. Eventually she got used to it. Well, she'd had enough. When her foster parents weren't watching she sneaked out of the house and ran. When she was still a child, she hoped that the next family _would_ love her. She stopped hoping pretty fast. She knew she was on her own and she would take care of herself. She had always done it and she would keep doing it.  
She ran until it was sundown. She stole some food from a village and looked for shelter. She found a cave and the edge of the forest. She looked inside. So far nothing. "Okay, Daniella, you can do this", she whispered to herself. She hoped that there wouldn't be some sort of animal in the cave, because she had no idea how to defend herself. She found it was empty and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "This will have to do", she thought. She looked for some dry wood. When she found some, she started to make a fire (something she had mastered over the years) and sat down. She put her hands in front of it. The temperature started to drop now that the sun was under and it was pretty cold in the cave. Daniella wrapped her cloak more tightly around her and laid down, put her hand under her head. She closed her eyes and drifted of to sleep.

 _1,5 years later:_  
Daniella sighed as it started to rain. " Not again", she thought irrationally. It had been raining nonstop for the past few days. She hated the rain, it was to wet and cold. She had to get back to camp, she decided. She kicked Reina in her side and made her way back.  
When she arrived, she quickly mounted the horse and put her with the others. She went to her tent and changed into some dry clothes. After that she brushed her hair and put it in a braid. Then she went to look for her favorite person.  
She grinned as she heard him yell: "Danny! You're back!"  
She couldn't help but smile at the nickname. He called her that ever since he decided that her name was too difficult to pronounce. He kept calling her that even though he learned how to say her name properly. It kind of stuck and she didn't mind one bit. The boy had her wrapped around his fingers from the moment she met him.  
She turned around with a bright smile on her face.  
"Roland", she yelled as she picked him up," of course I came back! I promised, didn't I?"  
He nodded as he tightened his grip on her.  
"I missed you", he mumbled against her skin with a small voice.  
"I missed you too, Roland", she responded, cradling his head while she kissed his curls.  
She looked around to find Roland's father. She grinned as she found him standing with his back to her.  
"Roland," she whispered, "let's go scare your father." Roland let out a little giggle when he heard that, she told Roland to be quite as she started to sneak up on Robin. When they were close enough, Daniella counted to three and she and Roland yelled at the same time:" Booooooo!"  
She swore she saw Robin jumping out of his skin as he turned around. She couldn't stop herself and started laughing, barely having the strength to hold Roland who was giggling himself.  
"Papa, did we scare you?"  
"Indeed you did, Roland. I almost had a heart attack", Robin said to Roland wile winking at her," and welcome back Daniella. How was the hunt?"  
"It was good, we caught some rabbits and some deer."  
"Ah, then we're going to have a good meal tonight", he said.  
"Indeed, we are", Daniella responded. She had joined the Merry Men almost a year ago, after she met the band's infamous leader Robin Of Lockley or as the people knew him 'Robin Hood'. He had found her while she was sleeping under a tree. Back then she slept almost everywhere. In caves, in trees and beneath them. They talked for a while and she had told him a little bit of her life. She wasn't one to trust easily so she didn't tell him much, but it was enough for him to take her in. She was twelve at the time. Now almost a year later, she had gotten used to living with a group of thieves. She helped them cook and looked after Roland when Robin was on a heist with his men. In return he taught her how to use a bow and arrow and she was given shelter and something she never thought she'd have; a family. She loved Roland like he was her little brother and she loved Robin like a father. The Merry Men were like her uncles. They are fun to be around, but they are a little overprotective sometimes. Most of all she loved her horse Reina. Robin had given it to her as a present. She named the horse Reina because of the way she acted sometimes. She was very elegant, strong and fast. Like a queen. Daniella had loved horses ever since she was little, but never had the chance to learn how to ride so Robin taught her. She picked it up rather easily and she was still getting better every day. She loved the feeling. It was like she was free, the wind in her hair, nothing else but her and Reina and it was amazing.  
"Daniella?"  
"Hmmm", Daniella mumbled, snapping out of her thoughts, "what were you saying, Roland?"  
"I made you something!"  
"You did?" Daniella chuckled at his enthusiasm, it was contagious.  
"Yeah! It's horse! See? That's the head and those are the legs..." Roland kept talking about the toy and Daniella listened. She loved it when he made her things like these. She treasured them, they meant the world to her. Roland may not be her biological brother, but he was her brother in every that mattered. Moment like these made her think about her birth parents. Who they were, what their story was but mostly she wondered why they had given her up. Where they not able to take care of her, did they have _no other choice_ then to give her away? Or did they just not want her. Daniella tried not to think of the latter option, but it still bothered her sometimes. Before she meat the Merry Men she had thought about looking for them, but then doubt would creep in. "What if they really didn't want her? Then they certainly wouldn't want to see her know."  
These thoughts were always the ones that stopped her from actually doing it. Now that she lived with the Merry Men, she thought about is less as she used to. She still wanted to know, but not as desperately as she used to.

Daniella looked down and saw that Roland had fallen asleep on her lap. It was a good thing she had already brought him inside her tent. It happened more then once that Roland slept in her tent with her. She was used to it, so she laid down, put a blanket around him and tightened her grip on him. She closed her eyes and let sleep take her away.

 **Robin's pov:**  
That's how he found them later. Roland laid half on top of Daniella, softly snoring. Daniella was lying on her back, her arms wrapped tightly around Roland's little body. Robin smiled. He was glad he found Daniella that day in the woods. He always wanted a sibling for Roland, but Marian died before they had the chance. Daniella filled that spot in their little family. Robin loved her like his own and wouldn't chance this for the world. Roland needed that, he needed a person to play with, to listen to him telling stories, to watch him when he couldn't. She thanked the gods every day for bringing Daniella into his and Roland's life. She didn't realize it but they needed her in some way.  
Robin sighed and got out of the tent as quietly as he could. He bit goodnight to his men and retired to his own tent. After he changed, he laid down and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

 ***A/N: I hope you loved this chapter! The next's going to be about Regina. I thought it would be nice to see how she is coping with the loss of her daughter and the drama in Storybrooke. This is still before Henry is kidnapped so around the time that Storybrooke was almost destroyed and Regina saved everyone's ass** 😂😁 **and then I'm going to get the whole bunch to the Enchanted Forest so Regina and Daniella can finally meet after all these years** 😊 **Please leave comments! I love feedback and thank you for reading this!**


	3. Chapter 2: Leaving Storybrooke

_Chapter 2: Leaving Storybrooke_

 ***A/N: This chapter kind of shows Regina's side during the events before and after Neverland. There are not a lot of things mentioned about Daniella, but I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much. Again, sorry if I made any mistakes** 😁

"I can't hold this much longer", Regina said.  
She knew she couldn't stop the trigger and survive, she had known that from the moment she decided to save Storybrooke from destruction. She just didn't want to tell anyone, especially Henry.  
"Mom, dad", Emma said. When she said that Snow looked like she would cry and never stop. Regina knew things were difficult between the un-Charmings and their daughter. Emma had never called Snow 'mom' which is why Snow reacted that way. She knew that she was at least partially responsible for the fact that Snow hadn't seen Emma in 28 years, but she couldn't help but think that at least she got a chance to get to know her daughter. She would never have that chance. Daniella was dead. Every time she thought about it, it hurt like hell. People say that time heals all wounds, well it doesn't. It doesn't stop her heart from clenching every time she even thought about her daughter's name. Which also reminded her of Daniel and that meant more pain. She still thought of Daniel a lot. She missed him so much. She missed everything about him. His smile, his eyes and the way they shone with love every time he looked at her, his laugh, his warm hugs... Those things made her heart even ache more. It would've been difficult enough to raise a daughter without him, but the fact that she only got to spend a couple of hours holding her, made it even more difficult and painful. Snow thought that she knew a lot of pain, that the fact that she hadn't seen her daughter in 28 years was long or that she wasn't together with her sheppard during the curse was awful. Well try the fact that your mother killed your fiancé right in front of you. Or the death of the only good thing in your life after that. Or never being able to say goodbye to that thing because your mother had already buried her without saying where.  
That hurt. A lot.  
Regina was snapped out of her thoughts wen Henry touched her arm.  
"I love you, Henry", Regina said," I only wish that I was strong enough to stop this. I'm just not" Her voice cracked when she said those last words and when Henry hugged her, she couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks. She wasn't afraid to die, she deserved it after all. She had done horrible things, so yes, she deserved it. The only thing she was afraid of was leaving Henry behind. She didn't want to. After everything that happened; Daniel's death, losing Daniella, her father... he was her second chance. After being so closed off for so long, she had let him in. She had let him into her heart and it felt incredible. From the moment she held him, she knew that she loved him. She would give up everything for him, even her own life.  
So no, she was not afraid to die.  
In the end, everything worked out alright. Emma thought that if they'd try to stop the trigger together, they might be able to without anyone dying. She was right, though now, Emma's idiot baby daddy's fiancée Tamara, kidnapped Henry together with Greg Mendell with whom she had had a relationship for quite a while, apparently. Well, if they thought they'd get away with it, they'd thought wrong. She was going to make them pay, but first she, Emma, the un-Charmings, the one-handed pirate and the Dark One were going to get Henry and bring him home safely. Then she would make them pay. They took Henry through a damn portal to another world.  
"Of course, they had to do that", Regina thought.  
She also wondered how miss Swan would handle all these things. Traveling with a portal, going to another world and not to mention her relationship with the Charming couple was still rocky.  
"Well, this is going to be interesting, "Regina thought," to say the least."  
But she couldn't find it in herself to care about that right now. They had taken Henry and she'd rather die than to see him injured. So, their next destination: Neverland.

Regina watched as the pirate and Neal said goodbye to Emma and Henry. They were able to save Henry, but Pan had taken over his body while they were on their way home. Then when they found out what Pan had done, they'd switched them back, putting Pan back in his own damn body. There was only one tiny, little problem. Pan had found the dark curse and casted it again while he was in Henry's body. The only way they'd be able to escape, was to undo what was done. And for that she had to give up the thing she loved most, she had to give up Henry. That's why they were at the town line, they were saying goodbye.  
She explained that undoing the curse would bring them back to the Enchanted Forest and erase Storybrooke. It would be like it had never existed. And she and the rest would go back to being stories again.  
She also told Emma she's give them new memories, happy one's. Memories where Emma never gave Henry up for adoption, where she'd kept him and raised him. It were her memories she would place in Emma's brain, but she didn't have to know that. It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that her little prince would be happy and safe. Living a normal life, a life where she never existed.  
"Now go," Regina said," there isn't much time left and the curse will be here any minute."  
Henry wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and buried his head in her chest. Regina hugged him back as tightly as she could, whispering that she loved him and giving him a kiss to his temple. Then she let him go.  
She watched as Henry and Emma got in Emma's car. Then she turned around and undid what she had done. She felt her magic running through her veins as she raised her hands.  
Then she felt herself being swallowed by purple smoke as she took one last look at the town line.

 ***A/N: I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave comments, I love to have feedback! In the next chapter, the whole bunch is back in the Enchanted Forest and Regina is learning to cope with the loss of yet another person she lost, while thinking about her little princess. In the process she meets Robin Hood and his Merry Men (and Merry Woman)** 😄   
**I'm not going to follow the show's storyline, but there will be little things from the original storyline in there.**


	4. Chapter 3: Back in the Enchanted Forest

_Chapter 3: Back in the Enchanted Forest_

 ***A/N: Here's the new chapter! In this chapter Regina and the rest of the group are back in the Enchanted Forest. Regina is trying to cope with the loss of Henry and because she lost Henry, she is reminded of Daniella.**  
 **I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'm sorry for any mistakes that I made :)**

Daniella gasped as she saw a cloud of purple smoke coming towards them.  
"Robin", she yelled," something's coming!"  
"Daniella, take Roland and go into your tent! Keep him safe" Daniella nodded and picked up Roland, who wrapped his arms tightly around her neck.  
"It's okay, Roland. Everything's going to be okay", she told him, trying to calm him down.  
"Danny, what's happening", Roland asked.  
"I don't know, but we're going to be okay. Your papa's going to be okay. Come on, let's get you inside the tent."  
Honestly, Daniella was terrified. She had finally found a family. A weird one, but a family and she didn't want to lose them. She held Roland as tightly as she could and whispered that it was going to be okay, even though she had no idea what was happening. She felt Roland shaking as the smoke came closer and she prepared herself as the smoke filled her tent.

The first thing Regina noticed was that she couldn't breathe properly. Something was stopping her from filling her lungs completely with air. When she looked down, she groaned. Of course. A damn corset. She hated corsets with every fiber in her body ever since she was a child. Her mother always forced her to wear them and she pulled them too tightly so that Regina couldn't breathe.  
Someone snapped her out of her thoughts. "We're back", that person said, maybe it was Snow? Regina didn't care who said it. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to wear these dresses. It didn't feel right anymore. Nothing felt right anymore.  
She had lost Henry. She had lost a child. Again.  
"But at least now, Henry was save and happy", she told herself. His heart was still beating and he was still breathing. She was able to save him and that meant everything to her. She wasn't able to save Daniella, she hadn't even noticed that she was not in her crib anymore. While she was raising Henry, that was one of her greatest fears. She had been terrified that one day, he'd just disappear. And when he ran away to find his _real_ mother, she'd been terrified that something would happen to him. But now, he was save and happy.  
And he was with Emma, not her, with _Emma_. As much as she told herself that that didn't matter, that the only thing that mattered was that he was safe, it bothered her. She had raised him for the first ten years of his life. She had soothed his cries, made him breakfast, she made sure he had everything his little heart desired, but now he was with Emma. The woman that had given him away when he was born. The woman he had only known for one damn year. And now, every memory she had with Henry, was inside the savior's head. Instead of her kissing his knees when he fell, it was Emma. Instead of her tucking him in at night, it was Emma. And it hurt. In his eyes she never existed. "But he's save", she reminded herself," he's happy. _He's alive_." _And Daniella isn't._  
Regina gasped as she felt a stab of pain deep in her chest. Tears were gathering in her eyes. She had to get away. She couldn't let these people see her weak. Especially Snow, she would try and make her feel better, but she couldn't. Only Henry could. _Only Daniella could._  
She separated herself from the rest and walked into the forest, away from everything. She needed to clear her head and try to stop thinking about him. _About her._ Now that she was alone again, the pain of losing Daniella came back full force and together with the pain of losing Henry, she could barely keep herself together. Damn heart. Damn these feelings.  
Regina hadn't noticed that one person had seen her walk into the forest. But that person understood that the queen needed space, for she understood the pain of losing a child. She let the queen have her time try and keep herself together, but she also knew that that was almost impossible.

Regina held the black organ in her hands. It was redder than it was the last time she's held it. But it still looked ugly, it was small and it was black. The only reason that there was still red in the damn thing was because of her love for Henry. _And Daniella._ But at least now, with the organ outside her body, she could breathe, she would be able to keep her tears at bay until they were at her castle and she could be alone. She put the heart in the little whole she had dug a few moments ago.  
"What are you doing?"  
"So now you're following me", Regina replied, annoyed that Snow White of all people had found her.  
"We were worried", Snow said," and it looks like we were right to be! What are you burying?"  
"Nothing that concerns you"  
"Regina, what have you done", Snow asked," Is that a heart?"  
"Go away", Regina yelled," Leave me alone!"  
"It's your heart, isn't it?" "I'm not having this conversation with you", Regina said back.  
"I know you miss Henry", Snow said. " _Not just Henry, snowflake",_ Regina thought.  
"But Regina, ripping out your heart is not the answer. No matter how much pain you feel, you can't just bury it in the woods!"  
"Watch me."  
"You won't feel better, Regina, you won't feel anything!"  
"That's the point! I can't keep walking around, knowing that I won't see Henry again", Regina yelled," and he doesn't even remember _who I am!"_  
"I know _exactly_ how you feel", Snow said.  
"No Snow, you don't. Because as much as I miss Henry, he isn't the only thing I miss", Regina yelled. She cursed herself afterwards for letting that slip. She shouldn't have said anything. She wasn't about to tell Snow White of all people about Daniella, the girl wouldn't be able to keep it a secret. She's probably tell her _charming_ husband or the werewolf girl, Ruby? It didn't matter, she wasn't going to tell her.  
"What do you mean by that", Snow asked.  
"Nothing, I don't want to talk about it", Regina said, while grabbing her heart. Snow looked like she wanted to keep asking but she closed her mouth after Regina glared at her.  
"Regina, just know that you don't have to go through this alone", Snow said, trying to make her feel better. _"Actually, I do have to go through this alone, I've been doing it for the last thirty years",_ Regina thought.  
Because as much as Snow tried, she couldn't understand any of it. She didn't know how it felt to wake up one morning to have your mother tell you your daughter died. She didn't know how it felt to never be able to say goodbye and she didn't know how it felt to have your mother force you to marry someone you didn't love, only a few days after that. No one would understand. No one.  
But Regina put her heart back in her chest, just so that Snow would leave her alone. Even for just a few minutes. She held her heart against her chest and pushed. Regina gasped at the intensity of all the emotions running through her. _Anger, sadness, loneliness,_ _grief._ She let one tear slip, one that she wiped away almost instantly so that Snow wouldn't see. She took a moment to compose herself before following Snow.

 ***A/N: I hope you enjoyed this! Please leave comments! In the next chapter, Regina is going to meet Robin Hood and a few of his Merry Men. Maybe she's going to meet Daniella, I'm not really sure what I want to do yet.** **We'll see. ;)**


	5. Chapter 4: Winged beasts

_Chapter 4: Winged beasts_

 ***A/N: Here's a new chapter! So here, Regina and the rest of the group meet Robin and his Merry Men. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'm sorry for any mistakes I made.**

"Did you hear that", Snow asked, "there was something there, in that bush." Regina curiously approached the bush Snow had pointed out, instantly preparing herself for any danger. She pushed one of the branches aside. Nothing.  
"Well, whatever it was, it must've flown away", Regina said, calming a little.  
"It did", Snow yelled, pointing towards some flying creatures. They were coming at them, and they were coming fast.  
"We have to find cover", Snow said, grabbing Regina's arm to pull the queen with her. But Regina pulled her arm free and said: "No. I don't run from monsters, they run from me." She created a fireball in her hand and threw it at the beast that was coming towards them. But the thing dotched it and resumed its original course. It flew towards them and grabbed Regina's arm, pulling her with it.  
"Regina!" Snow was panicking. The beast kept flying higher and she didn't have anything to help Regina. The beast scratched Regina's arm and finally let her go. The air was knocked out of Regina as she fell to the ground. She groaned and pulled herself into a sitting position which was difficult with that damn corset restraining her.  
"Damn corset", Regina whispered to herself. The thing was approaching again and its screeching made Regina's ears hurt.  
"Regina, we have to do something!"  
"Well, I'm open to suggestions", Regina said.

When the smoke cleared, Daniella opened her eyes.  
"Roland, are you okay", Daniella asked the little boy in her arms. He was shaking, she didn't see any injuries, but she didn't want to take any chances.  
"Roland?"  
"Danny", Roland whispered," what was that?"  
"I don't know sweetie, "Daniella whispered back, "but I'm going to find out. Come on, let's go." She picked Roland up and walked out of the tent.  
"Robin? Robin", Daniella yelled," Robin!" "Daddy", Roland yelled.  
"Daniella, Roland!" She saw Robin running towards them, she grabbed Roland tighter and started running towards him. Robin pulled them both in a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around them.  
"Are you both okay?" Robin asked.  
"Yes, were both okay", Daniella answered, wrapping her arms more tightly around Robin, relieved that he was okay.  
"And the Merry Men, is anyone hurt", Daniella asked.  
"No, everyone is okay."  
"Do you know what that was?" Daniella looked at Robin and saw the clueless look in his eyes. He didn't know what the smoke was.  
"No, but I'm going to find out. Can you stay here with Roland?"  
"Yeah, of course", Daniella said," just be careful, okay?" Daniella couldn't help but feel worried. She trusted Robin and his Merry Men, but with the things that had been happening lately, she was afraid something was going to happen to them. She couldn't lose them, not now. Not ever.  
"Always am. Come here." Robin knew why she told him to be careful, and honestly, he was also worried. Things weren't exactly calm. There had been a lot of attacks on villages lately. Houses burned to the ground. Men, women, children, all murdered in cold blood. So yes, he was worried, for Roland. And Daniella.  
He took both of them in his arms and squeezed them tightly.  
"I'll miss you both", he said, pulling back. He kissed Roland and Daniella's forehead.  
"I'll miss you too", Daniella replied.  
"I miss you too, daddy", Roland said. Robin took Roland in his arms and kissed him on the cheek.  
"I'll see you soon, okay?"  
"Okay, daddy!" With one last squeeze, Robin let Roland go and went to pack his things.

"Got down!"  
Regina grabbed Snow's arm and pulled the princess down with her. They heard an arrow being released from a bow and the beast screeching loudly in pain. Regina looked up to see the thing fly away.  
"Milady?"  
Regina turned around at the sound of a man's voice. And god, he had an accent. And a sexy one at that.  
"You're injured", the man said. Regina looked up at the man's face and found herself forgetting how to breathe for a second. He had sandy blond hair and a light scruff she badly wanted to touch. She found herself staring into blue eyes. So very bright and looking right back into her brown ones. God, he was beautiful. Wait, _what_? Where did that come from? Regina took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.  
"It's Your Majesty, and I'm fine." She didn't take the hand he offered her and got up herself. Though Snow gladly accepted the man's help.  
"Robin. Robin of Locksley. And these are a few of my Merry Men."  
"Snow White."  
"At last we meet. There was a time that our faces graced wanted posters side by side." God, that accent. Why did he have that damn accent? It made her feel things she hadn't felt in a long time. It was wrong and it made her angry. And she wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk of his face. _Kiss that smirk of his face_. "Stop it, Regina", she thought to herself. She snapped out of her thoughts when one of the so called 'Merry Men' made a comment.  
"If you're really Snow White, than why are you with her", the man said, not trying to hide the disgust in his voice.  
"Her? Show some respect. Or at least some restraint at the buffet." Regina didn't like that man at all. Nor did she like this Robin.  
"You'll have to excuse Little John, but before you cursed this land, we spent many a day running from your black knights." Little John? What kind of name was that?! The man was not little, _at all_.  
"Well, I'm sure you deserved it", Regina bit back. She didn't like Robin. She didn't like that fact that his accent and his damn voice made her feel things. And she didn't like the fact that he wasn't afraid of her. It irritated her. _He_ irritated her. Not wanting to talk about this anymore, she changed the subject.  
"What was that thing?"  
"I have no idea, we haven't encountered anything like it before. Though some of the villages have been attacked. In every village the same thing. Everything burned to the ground and every villager murdered. No one was spared. Men, women and children, all found dead. I assume that this has something to do with it."  
"Well, we have to get back and warn the others", Snow said.  
"Do you mind if we come with you? I've been wondering who or what has been attacking the villages and I have people to protect."  
The way he said that. It wasn't just people. Regina knew that look in his eyes. He had a family to protect. Children. Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest. Her mind went to Henry. And Daniella. God, she missed them. So much. Regina felt tears in her eyes again and she pushed them back. "Now is not the time", Regina told herself.  
"Of course you can come with us", Snow told them," follow me." Regina rolled her eyes, but caught up with Snow and walked beside her. They caught up with the rest of their group and headed to the Merry Men's camp.  
"So, what do you think of our new _friend_. Can we trust him? He _is_ a thief." Regina was curious, she wanted to know what Snow thought about the man.  
"Think of it from his perspective. How do you think he looks at you?" Well, she hadn't been expecting _that_ reaction.  
"Point taken", Regina said.  
"He's kind of cute, isn't he", Snow asked Regina.  
"He smells like forest", Regina dismissed her. She did not want to discuss the thief anymore, though she couldn't help but sneak a glance at him. He seemed pretty close with Belle and Neal. Regina wondered how he knew them.

Daniella looked up when she heard voices coming closer. She told Roland to stay in her tent and keep his voice down. She grabbed her bow and nodded to the Merry Men that were still with her. They nodded back and they surrounded the camp. The people came closer and Daniella loaded her weapon.  
"Who's there?"  
"No need to shoot Danny, it's just us."  
"Robin! You're back", Daniella yelled, she ran into his arms.  
"Of course I did", Robin said, hugging her back just as tightly.  
"Sorry, I was just worried."  
"Hey, it's okay honey. It's okay, I don't mind" Robin laughed, squeezing her one more time before letting her go. It's just then she noticed the rest of the people Robin brought with them. She recognized a few of the Merry Men, but she didn't know the rest. One of the women had black hair and green eyes. She looked nice. Beside her stood a man. He had blond hair and had an arm around the woman's waist. Daniella assumed they were a couple. Next to them, there was another woman. She had long, black hair and wore a very expensive looking dress. The dress was black and the woman wore a lot of jewels. She also had very dark make-up. And she had brown eyes. Daniella couldn't help but think that she had met the woman before. She just couldn't remember when.

 ***A/N: Okay, so I decided I wanted didn't want them to meet just yet because I didn't really know what I was going to do yet :) I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Please give me feedback, I love to know what you think of my writing!**


	6. Chapter 5: An unexpected meeting

_Chapter 5: An unexpected meeting_

 ***A/N: Here's the new chapter! I'm sorry for any mistakes and I hope you enjoy this one!**

Regina didn't know what to think. She watched as the girl threw herself at the thief, hugging him like she hadn't seen him for months. She could see that the outlaw cared a lot about her, because he hugged her back just as tightly while closing his eyes. Eventually they pulled back and the thief asked the girl something. The girl nodded and turned to look at the group Robin had brought with him. She looked at Snow and Charming for a moment before her eyes settled on Regina. The girl looked so familiar. She had long brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. She looked at Regina with a studying expression, like she was trying to figure out where she'd seen her before. And Regina was wondering the same thing. But before she could give it more thought, the outlaw started talking.  
"We are going to pack everything up," Robin told Snow and Charming," your group can take as much weapons as you need." Charming nodded at him and gave the rest the order to do just that. Charming thanked him for his help and he walked off with Snow, leaving Regina alone with the outlaw and the girl. After some time of just staring at each other, Robin introduced them.  
"Danny, this is the queen. Your majesty, this is... my daughter Daniella." Regina felt as though the air had been knocked out of her. Daniella. As in the name of her daughter. The one that had died hours after she was born. Grief washed over her like a wave and Regina felt like she was going to drown. She vaguely heard Robin call her name, but she didn't care. All the memories she had been trying to forget, all came rushing back.

"Your majesty? Regina!" Daniella watched as the queen looked she might cry when she heard her name. She looked like she was in pain. A lot of pain. Daniella also started to worry.  
"Your majesty?", Daniella asked carefully. That seemed to break the queen out of whatever she was in and she looked at Daniella, startled.  
"Are you okay?" Daniella asked the queen rather carefully.  
"Huh? Euh, yes of course. It was nice to meet you", the queen answered quickly.  
"It was nice to meet you too", Daniella said back, "Robin, do you want me to tell Roland you've returned?"  
"Yes, I've missed him." Daniella chuckled and answered: "He missed you too, he made that very clear." After that Daniella went to get Roland who was waiting patiently in Daniella's tent. On her way, Daniella started thinking. The Queen had reacted so strangely when she heard her name. It was like she'd seen a ghost. She got a haunted look in her eyes and her skin got pale. "Stop thinking about it, it's none of your business", Daniella told herself. With that she hurried to her tent.

Regina didn't know what to do. She almost started crying in front of a stranger because she met a girl with the same name as her daughter. Something like that had never happened before and if she had a say in it, it would never happen again. She slipped her mask back on and straightened her back. Luckily the thief didn't ask about her moment of weakness. For that she was grateful.  
"I'm going to have to tell my son and Daniella that we are leaving and help them pack their things, after that we can leave. Is that okay, your majesty?"  
"Yes, that's fine", Regina said back. She didn't feel like talking to him anymore and bid him goodbye. She needed a moment before they left and she had to deal with Snow. She took a deep breath and walked away.

Robin walked into Daniella's tent and was immediately knocked back by something or rather someone who grabbed his legs. He picked Roland up and held him tightly. Even though he had only been gone for a few hours, he had missed Roland and Daniella terribly and he was glad he was home.  
"How are you my boy?" Roland grabbed Robin more tightly and said: "I missed you daddy."  
"I missed you too, Roland", Robin said while also pulling Daniella closer, "I missed you both."  
"I missed you too", Daniella said while burying her head in Robin's chest. She knew it was silly, he had only been gone for a few hours. But she had missed him and after that weird encounter with the Queen, she needed this for a second. She was still bothered by the way the Queen had reacted when she heard her name, but Daniella decided to leave it alone. It was clear the woman was in pain and she wouldn't bother her just because she was curious. She was still the Queen. The _Evil_ Queen. Though Daniella couldn't find it in her to call her that, or be angry at the woman. Why? She didn't know. Daniella was snapped out of her thoughts when Robin pulled back from the hug and told her: "You might want to know why I brought that group back with us?" After Daniella nodded, Robin explained that the group had come back from the land where the Queen's curse had brought them.  
"Somehow the curse was undone, I don't know the details, but they came back here. Now they want to get to the Queen's castle and live there. I asked them if we could come with because of the attacks that have been happening lately. It's safer for you and Roland to be there at least until we find out who is behind the attacks." Daniella wanted to protest, but honestly, she also wanted to know who was behind the attacks and the thought that Roland lived in the castle, in a warm bed, made her agree.  
"Okay, then let's start packing." Robin was surprised Daniella agreed so fast but didn't comment on that. He just put Roland down for a minute (the boy had fallen asleep during their conversation) and helped Daniella pack Roland's things. After that Daniella went to pack her own thing and Robin packed his things after telling Little John to look after Roland.

The Merry Men had packed up everything in just a few hours and were ready to go. Robin had woken Roland and the little boy was running after a imaginary dragon, yelling that he would save the princess (Daniella was playing the princess that needed saving).  
"Don't worry, Danny! I will save you from the dragon!" Roland yelled. Daniella was lying on top of an old blanket while she yelled: "Please, be careful my brave knight!" Regina was looking at the scene with a sad smile. She remembered the days she used to play that game with Henry. He used to do the same things as Roland was doing now. Running after an imaginary dragon to save the queen. Regina smiled at the memory, genuinely this time, but it was gone quickly. She turned around and walked away.

After playing with Roland, she went to get Reina. She hadn't ridden in a few days and she begun to miss the horse. _And_ she would bring Reina with her. It was easier because she could carry Daniella's stuff.  
Daniella greeted Reina by petting her forehead and kissing her nose.  
"Hey there", Daniella laughed as Reina pushed her head in Daniella's hands," I missed you too." Daniella and Reina had been inseparable ever since Robin had given Daniella the horse. Daniella had loved the mare from the moment she saw it and it appeared Reina had liked her too. Reina didn't like a lot of people. She could tolerate Robin, but she didn't like the rest of the Merry Men. She loved Roland. And she loved Daniella. There wasn't a day that went by where Daniella hadn't spent time with her. Only the last couple of days had been so busy that Daniella simply didn't have time and she had missed Reina a lot.  
She gave the mare a hug and fed her an apple. For some reason Reina absolutely loved apples, it was her favorite treat. And honestly Daniella loved them too. She laughed as Reina ate the apple and asked for another one only seconds after she'd eaten the first one. Daniella gave her another one and started to get her ready for the trip.  
"It's beautiful", a voice said from behind them. Daniella jumped and pressed a hand to her racing heart.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you", the Queen said.  
"No, it's okay your majesty", Daniella replied.  
"Regina, please"  
"Regina", Daniella said, "and thank you. Robin got her for me. Her name's Reina."  
"Queen", Regina said and Daniella nodded.  
"May I?", Regina asked while she nodded towards the box with the brushes.  
"Of course", Daniella said. Regina started brushing the black mare with care. She's missed this, caring for a horse. She hadn't done it ever since Henry had brought Emma back with him to Storybrooke. She had been too busy with trying to get Emma out of town, that she hadn't had time to go to the stables. Daniella also seemed to love horses, it was obvious in the way she interacted with the animal. And the girl wasn't the worst company in the world.  
"I love horses", Daniella said," I've loved them ever since I was little. I just hadn't had the chance to learn how to ride and how to take care of them." Regina decided it wouldn't be bad to share a little bit of her childhood, they were just talking about horses and that was a save topic.  
"The first time I rode a horse, I was barely a few years old. I loved it, riding, it made me feel free. When I was riding, I didn't have a care in the world. My father got me my first horse when I was ten. I remember being overjoyed as he showed me the horse. The smile never left my face that day" Regina smiled softly at the memory, one of the good ones, of her childhood.  
Something in the Queen's voice told Daniella that that wasn't the end of the story, but she decided to leave it at that. She started talking about her own childhood.  
"When I was a child, I was an orphan", Daniella told Regina," I don't know who my biological parents are, all I know is that they gave me away. The only thing I have of them is a bracelet, but I stopped wearing it when I joined the Merry Men. I was pushed around from family to family. Some were nice, others... weren't." Daniella cleared her throat and continued: "Anyway, I ran away when I twelve." Daniella had absolutely no idea why she just told the Queen almost everything she went through as a child, but something inside her told her that she could trust Regina. Suddenly she felt a hand grabbing hers. Daniella stopped saddling Reina and looked at Regina.  
"I'm sorry you had to go through that", Regina told her. Daniella smiled at Regina and told her: "Me too." She squeezed Regina's hand and let go.  
After that they both returned to getting Reina ready for the trip.

Regina strangely felt a little better after her little talk with Daniella. Though she was surprised that the girl had shared so much about her childhood. She was after all, the Evil Queen. People feared her, or were supposed to fear her, she didn't expect the girl to be so open. Let alone about something as private as her childhood. A childhood that, just as hers, wasn't one of the best ones. It was strange, but she felt connected to the girl.  
She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind, she had other things to worry about. Like who the hell was behind these attacks and when they were going to get to her castle. She longed for a good night of sleep, even if it was in a world without Henry.

 ***A/N: Okay, this chapter turned out to be longer than I thought it would be :) I hoped you enjoyed it though! Please say in the comments what you thought about this chapter!**


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